He kaikake hōiho whakatipuranga tuatoru mai e kake ana ki te angitu, ā e whakamau atu ana te titiro ki te whai urunga ki ngā Taumāhekeheke Orimipia.
Ko Samantha Wells (Ngāti Kahu) i tīmata ki te kake hōiho nōna ka rua tau te pakeke, ā inā te pai o te mahi kake hōiho ki a ia, ‘he kare ā roto kaare i kō atu’.
”Waimarie katoa au i taku āheinga ki te noho ki runga hōiho i ia rā, te kake me te hono ki tētahi kararehe.”
19 tau te pakeke o tēnei wahine e whai ana i ngā takahanga a tōna whāea, a Dna rāua ko tōna kuia a Ona, he kaikake hōiho hoki i ō rāua rā. “Me pēnei pea te kōrero, he mea whānau mai ki roto i aku toto.”
Kua whanake nei a Wells hei kaikake whai pūkenga i ngā tau, kua angitu i te reanga rangatahi ā motu. Ko tōna māmā, he mātanga i ngā mahi tauwhāinga katoa, ko tōna kuia he mātanga whakapeke hōiho, ko Wells kua aro pū ki te whakawai hōiho i ngā tau e toru nei.
I tīmata ia hei ihuririki
”I te tīmatanga i hiahia au ki te whakapekepeke hōiho engari tē heke iho ki a au te ira māia o tōku māmā - nā reira kei konei au e mahi ana i te whakawai.”
Ko tōna ngākaunui ki tēnei mahi i tīmata i te whakataetae whakawai hōiho a te Karapu Poni o Aotearoa i te tau 2019, i reira i toa i a ia tana taitara ā motu tuatahi - he wā tērā e pūrero ake ana i āna mahi.
“I pōhēhē au i te kuhu au hei ihuririki,” hei tāna. “Kātahi te wā whakaharahara, ā te āhua nei koia i hika ake ai pea taku aroha mō te whakawai hōiho.
”Ko tana toahanga ki muri nei, ko tana whakaihuwaka i āna karangatanga Elementary, Elementary 3A hoki i Te Whakataetae ORO Equestrian Dressage By The Lake i Kemureti.
Heoi anō, ehara nā Wells anahe taua toahanga - ka whakamihi atu ia ki tana hōiho, ki a Ruby, he uwha Hanoverian e whitu tau te pakeke, ko tana hoa piripono i tēnei haerenga.
Te hononga ki a Ruby
E mea ana a Wells, i āhua roa te wā whakawhanake i te hononga ki tana hōiho. Hei tāna, “i pau te kotahi me te hāwhe tau hei hono tahi. Ki ōku whakaaro ko Ruby taku ritenga hei hōiho. E mārama ana ahau he whakaaro pōrangi pea tērā ki ētahi, engari koirā te take he tino pai tā māua hononga.”
Hei tā Wells anō, i kimi rātou i te hōiho pai rawa atu ki te taunaki i a ia i tēnei haerenga o te whai urunga ki Ngā Taumāhekeke Orimipia.
”Kua moemoeā au ki te haere ki Ngā Taumāhekeheke Orimipia nōku e kōhine ana.
”He tino waimarie au me aku whakamoemiti ki a Wendy Williamson, taku pouako hōu, e manako nei māna māua e āwhina kia tae ki reira.”
Ka whakangungu a Wells rāua ko Ruby i ngā rā e rima o ia wiki, i te wā ka whakarite rāua mō te whakataetae.
Ehara tēnei i te hīkoitanga whakamātautau kore noa - ko te āta whakarite i tana rātaka, he wero nui mā Wells. Tua atu i te whakangungu me te mahi hangere, kei te ako ia i Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, e whai ana i te tohu hōnore ki te whakahaere pakihi.
“I te tōnga o te rā, ka noho tuatahi ake, ko Ruby, ko taku mahi kake hoki ka noho tuatahi mai, i ngā wā katoa.”
Ko te pūtea he take nui i ngā wā katoa
Ko te pūtea he ārai nui ki ngā kaikake hōiho. Hei tā Wells ko ngā utu whakataetae noa iho ka eke ki te $400. “E mōhio ana au ki te hunga maha i te rāngai kake hōhio huri i ngā raupapa katoa he rite ki a au, ka pukumahi mātou.”
“I te nuinga o te wā, ka oho mātou i te haeata, ā ka kore e moe kia pō noa ake, ko te whakarite tahi i ngā mahi o ia rā me ngā mahi hōiho.”
Ko tētahi atu hononga whakahirahira i waenga i a Wells rāua ko Ruby, ko te hono ki te Tai Tokerau, ko te hōiho i hokona i Kaitāia.
”He tino pai te hoko i a Ruby i te hau kāinga o ōku mātua me ōku kaumātua.”Me te haere ki te whakatutuki i ngā wawata pērā i Ngā Taumāhekeheke Orimipia.”
E manako nui ana a Wells ki te whakakipakipa i ētahi atu ki te eke panuku i roto i ā rātou mahi me te tū whakahī ki ō rātou aka ahurea.
“Ko te tūmanako ka āki i ētahi atu tāngata pēnei i ahau, i ētahi atu Māori rānei ki te puta ki te ao me te poho kūkupa ki a rātou anō, ki ā rātou mahi hoki.”
Tua atu i te whai urunga ki Ngā Taumāhekeheke Orimipia, kei te anga atu te titiro o Wells ki ētahi atu taitara ā motu.
“[Koirā] te whāinga nui hei te wāhanga whakataetae o te tau e tū mai nei, kua whai hōiho ahau e taea ai e au te whakatinana tērā māku.”
Whai muri i tā rāua ekenga ki te taumata tuarua i te whakataetae Waitematā Premier League, ka haere a Wells rāua ko Ruby ki te whakataetae whakawai hōiho a te Karapu Poni o Aotearoa ka tū ki Ōtau hei te 22-25 o Hānuere, 2024.